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The new owners of the sewage treatment plant serving more than 64,000 people in the McKeesport area are inviting area residents to inspect the facility --- and ask questions about how it works.

Pennsylvania American Water will hold an open house and offer free tours of the McKeesport Wastewater Treatment Plant from 9 a.m. to 12 noon May 12, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Tours will last about 45 minutes each and will include gifts, refreshments and activities for kids.

“Our McKeesport team treats approximately 13 million gallons of wastewater each day,” said Chuck Schultz, operations superintendent for PAWC. “This open house will provide our customers with a unique opportunity to learn more about wastewater treatment and meet the professionals who make it happen 24/7.”

In 2017, PAWC purchased the facility, as well as treatment plants in Dravosburg and Duquesne, from the Municipal Authority of the City of McKeesport for $159 million.

Visitors will learn what happens to the dirty water from toilets, showers and laundries after it is flushed or goes down the drain, the PAWC spokesman said. They also will have the opportunity to talk with the company’s local management team and wastewater treatment professionals.

The McKeesport plant is located in the lower 10th Ward, near the Jerome Avenue Bridge.

The free tours are for all ages and will be conducted primarily outdoors with the exception of the indoor treatment facilities, the spokesman said. The tour route includes several flights of stairs, as well as walking over grated metal catwalks, he said, and members of the public who plan to attend should wear comfortable and sturdy closed-toed footwear.

There also will be a "touch-a-truck" display for kids, information about the Allegheny Land Trust and interactive displays describing local watersheds.

The plant is located at 100 Atlantic Ave. Attendees will need valid photo identification to enter the treatment plant property, the water company spokesman said.